anger, sadness, rage even, are what i hear in this poem. Decades of stories being rewritten to be palatable, of the true history being erased and replaced by lies to make the colonisers look better. the story of Matoaka is traumatising for a lot, she was raped, stolen, abused, and then showed around as a peace offering.
under the anger, there is also a sense of tiredness. tired of needing to correct and educate. tired of being erased and rewritten. tired of being treated so badly.
Learning
I've learned about the true history of Matoaka a few times, and each time it honestly just gets worse. She had to put up with so much. stolen away, separated from her child, raped, abused, showed around, lied to. She thought her family had died. And eventually, they did get sick from colonists, even when she thought she was oging back home, she never made it off the boat. it's insulting to have such a lighthearted movie made about her.
UNDRIP
Article 10, about how indigenous people have a right to not be forecebly taken. This law protects against stories like Matoakas, but also residential schools. It's against another event like the 60s Scoop from happening.
the first three articles are about indigenous peoples right to autonomy, freedom, and to be free of discrimination. These laws are supposed to stop more stories like Matoakas from happening. they're supposed to protect indigenous peoples freedom and human rights.
Quotes
"apparently if you want to be an Indian princess, forget the culture and language that needs to be sought."
A popular trope was the Cherokee princess. many important figures like Cher, and somewhat recently, Blake Lively have labeled themselves as indigenous, for popularity reasons. or even the random people wearing headdresses at Coachella, they all wear or speak of the white washed stories, wanting to be "unique" or "special" in a way, but they never talk about the tragedies indigenous peoples have suffered. the loss they all suffered, the reconnection they're all looking for. It's all for aesthetic reasons, and not to put eyes on the truth or educate.
"In your fairy tale I went from preteen to 18, Baptism and Christianity."
Disney and other companies have often exploited indigenous people and stories. In Pocahontas, they took out all the true, graphic details and completely changed the story. It went from a warning, traumatising story about how the colonisers raped and stole indigenous women and children, to a happy family movie about unity and nature.
